The No. 15 Auburn Tigers moved to 4-0 after a strong second half lifted them over Texas Southern on Friday night, 72-56.
It took a while for Auburn to get hot on Friday, but a 43-point second half allowed the Tigers to create separation and to earn the win. Auburn improved its’ shooting from 35% to 56% from the first to second half.
Individually, two Tigers stood out among the rest.
[autotag]K.D. Johnson[/autotag] and [autotag]Jaylin Williams[/autotag] were instrumental in Auburn’s win. Johnson led the team in scoring with 16, a season-best. Williams was important all-around by scoring 14 and pulling down eight rebounds. Their performances were good enough to earn “Tigers of the Game” honors for the first time this season, as voted on by the Auburn Wire staff.
Depsite not receiving a vote for Friday’s performance, [autotag]Chris Moore[/autotag] deserves an honorable mention. Moore ended the night tied with Williams in the points department, but his second-half production is what aided Auburn’s efforts to run away with the game. Moore scored 11 points in the final 20 minutes, going 3-for-3 from the both the field and the free throw stripe, and went 2-for-2 from beyond the arc.
Here is a look at how writers Taylor Jones, J.D. McCarthy, and River Wells voted following Auburn’s win over Texas Southern on Friday.